Permitted Movement

FAD PReP Manual 6-0

February 2017

1
Overview 

2

 Introduction 

 Roles & Responsibilities

 Defining Permits & Movements

 Permit Requirements & the Gateway

 Permitting Process
3

Introduction

PERMITTED 

MOVEMENT
Permits

 Permits are the mechanism by which movements are 

allowed during a foreign animal disease (FAD) 

outbreak. 

 These permits allow permitted movements.

 Permitted movement intersects both quarantine and 

movement control (QMC) and continuity of business 

(COB). 

 In a disease outbreak, permits are issued to move 

specific transports/items into, within, and out of 

regulatory Control Areas (CAs).

 Permits help to achieve FAD response goals.

4

Introduction
Permitted Movement Goals

 To facilitate the issuance of permits during an FAD outbreak.

 To implement science- and risk-based permitting guidance based 

on the best evidence available.

 To provide transparent information to States, stakeholders, and the 

public on USDA APHIS permitted movement processes.

 To use the Emergency Management Response System 2.0 (EMRS2), 

the official USDA system of record, for issuing permits and tracking 

movements into, within, and out of a regulatory CA during an FAD 

incident/outbreak.

 To ensure permit data is entered into EMRS2 in an accurate and 

timely manner, reflecting best practices and standards.

 To provide personnel to unified Incident Command and/or State(s) 

as requested by State(s) to support permitting activities in EMRS2 

during an FAD outbreak.

5

Introduction
6

Roles & Responsibilities

PERMITTED 

MOVEMENT
State Role: During an Incident

 USDA APHIS recommends States use EMRS2 for 

permitting activities.

 If a State feels as if they have a permitting and 

information management system that can handle a 

potentially large number of requests rapidly, and can 

communicate to other States to receive approval for 

interstate movements, the State can use their system 

to permit movements and issue permits in an 

outbreak. 

 If a State uses their own system, they must 

communicate data to the unified Incident Command 

for entry in EMRS2.

Roles & Responsibilities 7
State Role: Requesting USDA APHIS Support

 As seen in two recent outbreaks of highly pathogenic 

avian influenza in the United States, permitting can 

become a monumental task. 

 In these outbreaks, multiple States requested USDA 

APHIS assistance for permitting activities.

 USDA APHIS is prepared to support permitting 

activities in EMRS2 for any State experiencing an FAD 

outbreak, upon their request. 

Roles & Responsibilities 8
State Role: Additional State Requirements 

 States may also establish additional enhanced active 

surveillance, testing criteria, or permit requirements for 

premises located in the Surveillance Zones/Free Areas 

within their State (outside of any regulatory CA). 

 Any existing entry requirements that States have in place 

prior to an outbreak must also be met for interstate 

movements on Interstate Certificates of Veterinary 

Inspection, in addition to specific FAD permit 

requirements. 

 Movements outside the scope of the CA during an FAD 

outbreak are not captured in EMRS2 and should continue 

under existing authorities, processes, procedures, and 

guidance.

Roles & Responsibilities 9
USDA APHIS Role: During an Incident 

 State(s) have primary authority (absent a USDA 

Extraordinary Emergency Declaration or similar); USDA 

APHIS—in coordination with State Animal Health 

Officials and the unified Incident Command—provides 

the oversight for interstate permitted movement 

(commerce) and any movement relating to 

international trade. 

 USDA APHIS is prepared to support State(s) in an FAD 

incident in all permitted movement activities, as 

requested by the State, using EMRS2 and skilled 

EMRS2 personnel.

Roles & Responsibilities 10
11

Defining Permits 

& Movements

PERMITTED 

MOVEMENT
Permits

 A permit (can be paper, electronic, or both) is used to 

approve and document movements into, within, and out 

of a regulatory CA. 

 A permit conveys two critical pieces of information: 

1. approval for a movement (from a specific origin point A to a 

specific destination point B), and 

2. approval for a specific item associated with this movement 

(animals, products, materials, etc.). 

 A permit typically also defines specific requirements that 

must be met for movement (e.g., diagnostic testing). 

 A permit must be approved by the origin and destination 

State.

Defining Permits & Movements 12
Types of Permits

 There are two primary types of permits (all entered in 

EMRS2): 

1. Specific permits are based on risk and are related to 

controlling and containing the FAD outbreak, particularly 

for biocontainment (i.e., keeping the disease on Infected 

Premises) and bioexclusion (i.e., keeping the disease out 

of non-infected premises). 

2. COB permits are for maintaining business continuity in an 

outbreak for premises that are affected by movement 

restrictions but not infected by the FAD agent. Split into 

two types: operational and Secure Food Supply (SFS) for 

normal movements and animals/animal products, 

respectively. 

Defining Permits & Movements 13
Three Types of Movements

1. Permitted movements are those movements 

associated with an approved permit.

2. Tracked conveyances are negligible-risk movements 

that are tracked in EMRS2, but do not require a 

permit (typically from Food Safety and Inspection 

Service [FSIS]-inspected plants).

3. Routine movements are not tracked in EMRS2 and 

do not require a permit, though the producer may 

be required to keep enhanced records of these 

movements. 

Defining Permits & Movements 14
15

Permit Requirements 

& the Gateway

PERMITTED 

MOVEMENT
Overview

 There are seven key pieces of information that are 

required to obtain any type of permit.

 These data are recorded in EMRS2 in as close to real 

time as possible during an FAD outbreak.

 During an outbreak, additional data standards may 

be defined.

 If a State elects to use an information system other 

than EMRS2 to issue permits in an outbreak, these 

data must be communicated to the unified Incident 

Command for import or entry into EMRS2.

Requirements & the Gateway 16
Information Required for a Permit

1. Permit Class―location, e.g., into CA, out of CA, or within CA.

2. Permit Reason―reason for permit, e.g., direct to farm, 

direct to landfill, or into commerce.

3. Origin Premises―Must be in EMRS2.

4. Destination Premises―Must be in EMRS2.

5. Items―What is allowed to move, e.g., manure/litter, feed, 

eggs, groups of animals.

6. Item Class― Further description of item, e.g., if the item 

permitted was “groups of animals,” the item class offers 

further information.

7. Duration/Span of Permit―First movement date, as well as 

how long the permit is valid for. 

Requirements & the Gateway 17
Additional Requirements 

Prior to Movement

 Permits and their associated permitted movement may 

have additional requirements that must be met before 

the movement is made. 

 These records and documentation can be uploaded in 

EMRS2 for review by relevant parties.

 For example, diagnostic testing or mortality reports from 

the premises may be required.

 Diagnostic testing results can be entered into EMRS2 or 

automatically messaged, if the testing laboratory can 

message results (strongly preferred), and attached to the 

origin premises in EMRS2.

Requirements & the Gateway 18
EMRS2 Customer Permit Gateway 

Introduction 

 The EMRS2 Customer Permit Gateway, also referred to as “the 

Gateway,” is a new, producer-facing portal that provides an 

automated linkage from a website to the EMRS2 system. 

 The Gateway is an interactive, secure, web application, where 

registered producers can create a permit request for movement. 

Requirements & the Gateway 19
General Information & Benefits

 The Gateway has important benefits and greatly 

streamlines the permitting process:

– It offers producers a way to see the real-time status of their 

permit requests. 

– It facilitates timely and accurate data entry into EMRS2, the 

USDA APHIS official system of record for FAD outbreaks. 

 The use of the Gateway does not change the overall 

permitted movement process or permitting concepts. 

 The document HPAI Ready Reference Guide—EMRS2 

Customer Permit Gateway also offers an overview of the 

Gateway. 

Requirements & the Gateway 20
21

Permitting Process

PERMITTED 

MOVEMENT
Overview

 There are eight general steps involved in permitting. 

 The process is broadly the same regardless of the 

type of permit—specific or COB.

 Remember, a tracked conveyance does not require a 

permit for movement, but is typically entered in 

EMRS2 and available for the origin State and 

destination State to review in EMRS2. 

Permitting Process 22
STEP 1: Permit Request

Permitting Process 23

Permit Request Accepted Permit

Request Pending Permit Reviewed Permit Approved Permit
Specific Permit Request

 The unified Incident Command determines if a 

permit is required for movement; the producer 

needing to make the movement or the unified 

Incident Command can initiate the permit request. 

 At this time, specific permit requests are not made 

through the Gateway and should be made through 

normal communication channels.

 Specific permits may receive priority for review in the 

permit request queue, as they relate directly to 

response operations and the 

containment/elimination of the FAD.

Permitting Process 24
Continuity of Business Permit Request

 COB permits must be requested by the producer. 

 It is preferable that these requests are made through 

the Gateway; if a producer is not registered, all other 

existing methods can be used to make a permit 

request.

 It is highly recommended that producers with 

potentially large volumes of SFS permitted 

movements register in the Gateway.

Permitting Process 25
STEP 2: Enter/Confirm Data in EMRS2

Permitting Process 26

Permit Request Accepted Permit

Request Pending Permit Reviewed Permit Approved Permit
Data Review

 For both types of permits (specific and COB), personnel 

in the origin State and/or unified Incident Command 

personnel review the data entered for the permit request

only for completeness. 

 For specific permits not requested through the Gateway, 

personnel must create a new permit request (enter data 

in EMRS2) in the permit request queue. 

 For COB permit (operational or SFS) requests through the 

Gateway, the data does not need to be entered in 

EMRS2: it appears automatically in the permit request 

queue once submitted by the producer in the Gateway. 

 As soon as the data is complete, the permit request is 

accepted and continues forward as a pending permit.

Permitting Process 27
STEP 3: Review Pending Permit 

and Documentation

Permitting Process 28

Permit Request Accepted Permit

Request Pending Permit Reviewed Permit Approved Permit
Pending Permit Review

 The review of the pending permit is substantive and 

requires trained personnel that understand permit 

requirements.

 For interstate movements, Step 3 (review) and Step 5 

(approval/denial) are both required for all pending 

permits, regardless of permit type. 

 However, for pending permits that are for intrastate 

movements, since the origin State and destination 

State are the same, Step 3 and Step 5 are inherently 

combined.

Permitting Process 29
Origin State Options

 The origin State has three options at this stage for 

the pending permit (for interstate movements):

1. Status the pending permit as a “Reviewed Permit;” 

present and recommend approval to destination State.

2. Status the pending permit as a “Reviewed Permit;” 

present but do not recommend approval to destination 

State.

3. Reject the pending permit (for example, if the premises 

has not met the requirements to move items out of the 

CA); do not present pending permit to the destination 

State.

Permitting Process 30
STEP 4: Origin State Notifies 

Destination State of Reviewed Permit

Permitting Process 31

Permit Request Accepted Permit

Request Pending Permit Reviewed Permit Approved Permit
Reviewed Permit Notification

 After the origin State reviews the pending permit, the 

destination State (if different than origin) is notified that 

there is a reviewed permit. 

 All notifications can be done automatically via EMRS2.

 If the origin State elects to use their own information 

management system for permitting, they must also have 

a way to document notifications to the destination State.

 If needed, in a large outbreak, an established National 

Permitting Unit can also streamline this process for origin 

State(s).

Permitting Process 32
STEP 5: Destination State Approves 

or Denies Permit

Permitting Process 33

Permit Request Accepted Permit

Request Pending Permit Reviewed Permit Approved Permit
Approval or Denial of Permit

 For any permit that is proposing interstate permitted 

movement—whether specific or COB (operational or 

SFS)—the destination State always has the opportunity 

to approve or deny the reviewed permit.

 Destination State is also responsible for confirming 

permit is acceptable with the destination premises.

 When a reviewed permit is approved by the destination 

State, it becomes an “Approved Permit.” 

 If the permit is denied, the permit process ends. 

 If the destination State approves the reviewed permit, 

the destination State enters an “approved” date and an 

“expiration” date. 

Permitting Process 34
Attached Documentation 

 When there are criteria required for the permit, like 

diagnostic testing results, the destination State can 

elect to review any/all documentation related to 

these criteria.

 Supplementary, required documentation can be sent 

to the destination State directly by the producer or 

origin State; it is preferable that any such 

documentation is uploaded in EMRS2 for all parties 

to review. 

Permitting Process 35
Revoking a Permit

 It is important to note that if the epidemiological 

situation changes, or at the destination State’s 

discretion, a permit may be revoked at any time. 

 States are encouraged to make their decisions based 

on the best science- and risk-based information 

available during an FAD outbreak. 

 Both destination and origin States can revoke a 

permit in EMRS2, or can contact EMRS2 personnel or 

the unified Incident Command to revoke a permit.

Permitting Process 36
STEP 6: Destination State Notifies 

Origin State of Decision

Permitting Process 37
Notification of Approval or Denial

 For any reviewed permit that requires destination 

State approval, the destination State must notify the 

origin State whether they approved or denied the 

reviewed permit. 

 This formal notification also serves as further 

documentation that the destination State received 

notice of a reviewed permit and responded. 

 This step is critically important so that States cannot 

claim that movements were made without the 

approval of the destination State.

Permitting Process 38
STEP 7: Origin State/Unified Incident 

Command Issues Permit

Permitting Process 39
Permit Issuance

 Once the reviewed permit is granted approval and 

the destination State notifies the origin State of the 

decision, the permit can be created in EMRS2. 

 For specific permits, the unified Incident Command 

or origin State personnel familiar with EMRS2 

typically produce the permit form in EMRS2. 

 For COB permits, the origin State typically creates the 

permit form in EMRS2; permit templates can be 

customized, including with State logos.

 Permits can be issued immediately (PDF).

Permitting Process 40
STEP 8: Permitted Movement Occurs

Permitting Process 41
Permitted Movement Occurs

 Once a permit is approved, specific conditions are met, 

and notification of the forthcoming permitted movement 

has occurred, the actual movement can occur. 

 This movement may occur once (common for specific 

permits) or multiple times (common for COB permits).

 It is the producer’s responsibility to ensure that all 

requirements are entered prior to movement.

 It is the destination State’s responsibility to review and 

request documentation from the origin State/producer 

when necessary. 

Permitting Process 42
SUMMARY OF PERMITTING 

PROCESS

Permitting Process 43
Overview of the Eight Steps in Permitted Movement 

Permitting Process 44

Unified Incident Command or 

Producer submits permit request

Unified Incident Command or 

origin State reviews pending permit

and documentation 

Step 1

Unified Incident Command or 

origin State enters/checks data in EMRS2 and accept 

permit request, creating a pending permit

Step 2

Step 3

Origin State notifies the destination State of

reviewed permit

Step 4
45

Overview of the Eight Steps in Permitted Movement, continued

Permitting Process

Destination State 

reviews and denies 

permit and notifies 

the origin State of 

their decision 

The origin State or Unified 

Incident Command issues 

approved permit

Destination State 

reviews and 

approves permit

and notifies the 

origin State of their 

decision 

Movement occurs

Step 8

Step 7

Step 5

Step 6
Overview of COB Permit Process using the EMRS Customer 

Permit Gateway

Permitting Process 46

After quick data review, pending 

permit gets sent to the origin State 

for review in EMRS2.

 Approved permit issued; 

producers can now 

 download their permit 

from the Gateway.

The reviewed permit is then shared 

with the destination State to be 

either rejected or approved.

Producers can 

log-in at any time

to view status.

Move items

Destination 

State approves 

permit and 

notifies origin 

State.

Producers registered 

in the Gateway 

can create a 

permit request after

logging in.

Per the approved 

permit, producers

enter movement(s) 

in the Gateway.

M V1

M V2

M V3

 Movement(s) 

 Completed

 Permit 

 Completed

Destination 

State denies 

permit and 

notifies origin 

State.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 8

Step 7

Step 6
For Further Assistance

 Additional training or materials can be requested by 

contacting the EMRS National Coordinator or their EMRS 

Network Associate for their District. 

 States should not hesitate to reach out if they feel as if 

they are unprepared to use EMRS2 in an outbreak and 

need additional assistance. 

 In addition, at any point during an outbreak, APHIS 

Veterinary Services personnel are ready to assist States 

as requested.

 Documentation available on 

www.aphis.usda.gov/fadprep. 

47
Abbreviations

APHIS Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

CA Control Area

COB continuity of business

EMRS2 Emergency Management Response System 2.0

FAD foreign animal disease

FAD PReP Foreign Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Plan

FSIS Food Safety and Inspection Service 

QMC quarantine and movement control 

SFS Secure Food Supply

USDA U.S. Department of Agriculture

48